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Monday, February 20, 2012

NIM: The Urban Cultivator - Growing In Your Kitchen

At Useful Spaces I'm always on the look-out for new appliances. So many of today's appliances are fully-integrated, zero-clearance, require plumbing, etc. If I can stay on top of what's new there will be fewer surprises on the job-site.

Last month, while watching The Dragon's Den (similar to the Shark's Tank in the US, but much better in my opinion) I watched a group from Vancouver pitch an appliance I had never seen before. It's called the Urban Cultivator, and it allows the home chef to grow herbs and greens in their own kitchen. Yep, an appliance that's designed to actually produce food. Plants are water automatically, the air is circulated to promote growth ... all you have to do is feed the plants to harvest your own delicious, healthy greens.

It's available as a stand alone unit (with a selection of butcher block tops), as a built-in unit (much like a wine fridge) or as a much larger commercial unit. Some basic plumbing is required for drainage and of course power is needed.